Review: Redemption by Karin Tabke

A bad boy cop bargains his way out of hell—and back into his ex-fiance’s heart—in Redemption, a novella from international bestselling author Karin Tabke.

After a fatal car crash, bad boy cop Zach Garret’s descent into hell is interrupted by an unusual deal for redemption. All Zach has to do is return to earth as a warrior sworn to defend his ex-fiancée Danica Keller, the unknowing keeper of a power coveted by the forces of darkness. But even harder than keeping Danica alive that long is convincing her to give a second chance to the man who once betrayed her.

God, she tasted sweet. His body ached for more, his heart for all. But he had nothing to give in return. He was a cold-blooded killer, and every time she looked at him he could see the horror of his deeds reflected in her eyes.

I’m a sucker for a second chance romance. There’s just something about it that does it for me every single time. Maybe it’s the angst. Maybe it’s the groveling? Whatever the case may be, I can’t get enough of it.

As a long time fan of Karin Tabke’s I was thrilled to see she has a new book coming out. And as a huge fan of PNR, I was even more thrilled when I read the synopsis. With an abundance of vampire and shifter books out there, I find myself craving something different in my PNR at times and this book definitely delivered on that end. The world building is an intriguing mix that I haven’t read before.

Zach was a hero you couldn’t help but love, even his broken pieces, and the man had plenty of them. He hadn’t exactly been a saint in his life or his career. He’s made his share of bad decisions and wrong choices, but none haunt him as much as what happened between him and his ex-fiancee, Danica.

When a choice after his death is to fall into hell or become the guardian for a woman that quite literary holds the fate of the world in her hands, it’s really no choice at all. But unfortunately for Zach, the woman also happens to be his ex-fiance whose heart he didn’t just break, but he destroyed her life. She wants nothing to do with him and now he has to prove to her that she needs him just as much as he’s always known he’s needed her.

For a novella, there was quite a lot of character development and plot expertly packed in. There are a couple secondary characters that piqued my interest quite a bit. So much so, I’m hoping this will be the start of a new series. The romance was equally satisfying, though I didn’t have quite enough time to truly get invested in it, hence my lower rating. I liked Danica’s strength. This is no damsel in distress, and I appreciate that in my books.

All in all, I enjoyed this one quite a bit and hoping there’s more to come in this intriguing new world.